| Feburary 1997 | [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] | ISSUE No. 7 |
Stimulated by the ongoing need to critically evaluate our leadership role in surgical fracture education, AO-International, under the guidance of the organizing committee consisting of Peter Matter, Max Landolt, Liam Murphy, David Pitts, Ann Murphy, and Robi Frigg, a workshop to study the future of AO Education was developed. North America was represented by Jim Kellam, Dante Marchesi, Marvin Olmstead, Howard Rosen, Joan Rousseau, Joseph Schatzker, Richard Stern, and Peter Trafton. AO North America provided travel expenses for the North American surgeon attendees. The North American contingent joined together with selected AO Educators from throughout the world to partake in an interesting assessment of AO Education from the past and into the future. This was facilitated by introducing us to several different techniques in management education. Foremost in the course was the involvement of all participants as moderators, speakers, facilitators, rapporteurs and active members of groups.
The workshops began by an experience in future. This session involved predicting where AO Education would be in the year 2002 and then working backwards to the present to determine how we would arrive at that future point. This exercise introduced a variety of excellent ideas with regards to the future of education involving many different methods of education and teaching and in particular the use of multimedia and interactive materials for the assessment of fracture and trauma education.
A second session allowed us to role play. This exercise was very useful in allowing all of the participants to hide behind a make-believe role and express concerns, criticisms, and conflicts among AO Education, AO-Foundation, the manufacturers, instructors and students. This session was excellent in being able to identify in a non-threatening method of some of the concerns that may influence the future development of A. O. Education.
An excellent session of the various technical possibilities available for the future were explored. This was set up by Robi Frigg, and adequately handled through the work of Marcus Buehler and his staff. During these sessions, introduction to the Internet, teleconferencing, image retrieval access and manipulation and virtual reality were presented.
A very interesting management exercise called SWOT analysis was performed. Groups identified the strengths, weaknesses and threats within AO Education. This session drew the first several days to an excellent conclusion showing how the AO-Foundation and AO Education are built upon people interested in a goal of trauma education, but with major concerns of some of the financial and conflict of interest aspects that may or may not be a threat to the ultimate goal of education. Finally, under the leadership of the Great Commander of the Galaxy, Peter Trafton, we all partook of Operation Andromeda. This was a team building and project management, game simulation exercise.
As well as the intensity of learning new techniques for people management, a similar intensity was involved in developing relationships amongst the various members of the AO family throughout the world. This was done through excellent social events and the very pleasant surrounds as always in Davos.
Finally, the true meaning of the AO family and what AO Education is all about was presented in an after-dinner speech by our own Howard Rosen. Howard, in his own way, reviewed his life as an AO Educator. As well as a humorous speech, it became obvious to everyone present, what AO meant to each of us and to the education of surgeons in the appropriate techniques of trauma care for the betterment of patients.
If you have ideas or suggestions concerning AO educational matters or wish to apply for future course chairmanship or faculty status, you may wish to contact one of the following surgeons who are members of the two North American Education Committees:
North American Maxillofacial Education Committee (NAMEC)
1997 AO North America Education Committees
James Kellam, M.D. - Chairman
Charlotte, North Carolina
James Hughes, M.D.
Jackson, Mississippi
Richard Lange, M.D.
Madison, Wisconsin
Jeffrey Mast, M.D.
Detroit, Michigan
Rick Buckley, M.D.
Calgary, Alberta
Larry Webb, M.D.
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Jesse Jupiter, M.D.
Boston, Massachusetts
Mitchell Harris, M.D.
New Orleans, Louisiana
Mike Miller, M.D.
Birmingham, Alabama
Brian Alpert, D.D.S. - Chairman
Louisville, Kentucky
John Frodel, M.D.
Baltimore, Maryland
Peter Koltai, M.D.
Albany, New York
Patrick Gullane, M.D.
Toronto, Ontario
Richard Haag, D.D.S.
Cleveland, Ohio
Craig Vander Kolk
Baltimore, Maryland